Conversation, Creativity, and Connection

What happens when you bring more than 430 years of combined Children’s Ministry experience into one room? A LOT of ideas, inspiration, and wisdom gets shared!

Our Children’s Ministry Gathering for Leaders and Volunteers was packed with conversation, creativity, and connection. We tackled everything from small group discussions about volunteer recruitment and retention, youth programming, curriculum, and ministry start-ups to short presentations on creating welcoming children’s spaces and learning about the Diocesan Children’s Choir. We highlighted national professional development opportunities, compared and rated the curricula we’ve tried, and voted on the collaborative projects we’d most love to pursue together.

Wisdom created a whirlwind as we participated in a 10-minute “speed-dating” idea exchange, gathering as many winning children’s sermon ideas, crafts, games, science experiments, seasonal and/or intergenerational events as we possibly could! Our day finished with a song promising to "Let our Light Shine" into the year ahead.

Thank you to St. David's, St. Matthias, Holy Trinity, Christ Church, Good Shepherd, St. George's Devon, St. George's Fort Saskatchewan, St. Mary's Ponoka, St. Matthew's St. Albert, St. Andrew's Camrose, and Tammy-Jo Mortensen (Diocesan Children's Choir) for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm for children's ministry.

-Ilona Bevan, Children’s Discipleship Animator for the Diocese of Edmonton